The invention concerns an apparatus for transferring an article from a first transport means to a second transport means which branches therefrom.
Apparatuses of that kind are used for example in the large-scale mail order business, in connection with parcel mail or the like.
An apparatus of the kind set forth in the opening part of this specification is known from EP 0 182 938 A1 and EP 0 113 340 B1. In first-mentioned EP 0 182 938 A1 the second transport means is disposed in parallel orientation with the first transport means, so that in that arrangement it is only possible to leave articles on the first transport means or to transfer them from same to the second transport means. That means however that the sorting capacity of that known apparatus is relatively low.
Above-mentioned EP 0 113 340 B1 discloses only a first transport means. That state of the art gives no information as to where the articles are transferred from the first transport means.
DE 32 41 100 A1 describes an apparatus for rejecting piece goods, in particular parcels or packets, or for expelling individual items from a row of piece goods which are transported in succession on a delivery belt. In order to be able to expel the piece goods individually or as a whole from a flow of articles supplied on a delivery belt, arranged in the rejection or expulsion region above the delivery belt is a rejection or deflector member with at least one deflector roller which extends in the direction of travel of the delivery belt on a circular path and by means of which the respective item to be expelled is engaged laterally and/or at the lower edge, and urged out of the direction of travel. In that situation a rubber-covered transport roller engages the item which is moved along in the longitudinal direction at an angle of 90.degree. to the feed flow of piece goods on the delivery belt.
DE 37 34 599 C1 discloses an apparatus for sorting out bottles which are recognised as being defective. That sorting-out apparatus is of such a design configuration that the travel distance by which the bottles are displaced transversely to the direction of travel of the belt in the sorting-out operation is independent of the degree of filling thereof, and is controlled by a drive means. The sorting-out apparatus which is provided to push defective bottles from a main conveyor belt on to a sorting-out belt has a pusher member which is actuated at precisely the correct time by a detection station for detecting defective bottles and which is movable transversely with respect to the main conveying direction, the pusher member having a pusher plate which is fitted with two rows of bristles, and a pushrod which is arranged on the pusher plate, as well as a cam disk which bears against the pushrod and which is drivable as required for one revolution for each bottle to be sorted out, for producing the forward drive movement of the pusher member, together with a return member for the return stroke movement of the pusher member.